Synthesis and Characterization of Powder Silica: A Judicious Recycling of the Natural Ceramic Rice Husk Ash

The present work reports the potential use of an agro-waste rice husk (RH) and rice husk ash (RHA). The raw material, RHA, was obtained from the local rice mill. Powder silica was extracted from solid waste RHA. The given extraction yield is up to 70%. Microstructural and compositional analysis reveals that the final product is predominantly silica with a small amount of a few more elements. The vibrational and stretching bonds of the silica studied by Raman and Infrared spectroscopy (IR). Optical properties were investigated by DRS, which indicates the bandgap energy of silica. The applied procedure is simple, cost-effective, and widely accepted and suitable for large-scale production. Conclusively, the development of RHA in engineering materials represents a novel and non-toxic way of production of superior quality and highly pure silica.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the potential use of agro-waste rice husk and rice husk ash in producing high-quality silica. The simple and cost-effective extraction process is suitable for large-scale production, making it a novel and non-toxic method for engineering materials.